Post anchor and protector



Dec". 11, 1934. J, H, GORDON 1,983,850

POST ANCHOR AND PROTECTOR Filed Aug. 24, 1931 INVENTOR. Jn E. 607207015,

ATTORNEY.

@oriented Dec. 11, 1934 UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE POST ANCHOR AND PROTECTOR John H. Gordon, Riverside, Calif.

Application August 24, 1931, Serial No. 558,984

4 Claims.

This invention is a post anchor particularly applicable to wooden poles; and has for its object to provide an anchor preferably of molded plastic material and adapted to be conveniently operatively assembled so as to enclose that end of a pole which is embedded in the ground, with no possibility of moisture from the plastic material penetrating the wooden pole and rotting the same.

it is a further object of the invention to provide a post anchor adapted to enclose the groundembedded end of a pole with a sealing medium between the pole and the surrounding anchor for preventing penetration of moisture.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an anchor adapted for expansion and constraction while snugly enclosing the end of a pole, thereby avoiding the possibility of cracking the anchor.

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the anchor in operative position and shown partly in axial section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2--2 of Fig. l.

The anchor is a cylindrical shell adapted tol enclose the ground embedded end of a pole or post, as for example a wooden pole A; and the cylindrical shell is preferably diametrically divided so that it embodies cooperating half-cylinders l and 2 closed at their lower ends as shown at 3 and 4 and adapted for separate manufacture and subsequent assembly on the end of a pole prior to embedding the pole in the ground.

The side walls of the half-cylinders are of appreciable thickness and the bases 3-4 are preferably of still greater thickness, with flanges 20--21 preferably projecting radially outwardly from the bases, so as to provide adequate protection a substantial anchor for the groundembedded pole; and the upper ends of the halfcylinder are preferably counterbored as sho-Wn at 5, for reception of a plastic medium such as aephaltum 6 which thus provides a seal between the pole and the upper end of the surrounding anchor. The upper end of the anchor preferably projects a short distance above the ground level '7, and may be inwardly and downwardly tapered as shown at 8 so as to receive and retain the asphalturn 6.

The cooperating half-cylinders are adapted to iit snugly around the pole end, and preferably engage one another at their meeting edges so as to guide their annular assembly and at the same (Cl. Ztl- 100) time permit such relative radial expansion and contraction of the half-cylinders as will compensate for slight variations in the diameters of different poles. For this purpose cooperating tongues and grooves may be provided at the meeting edges oi the half -cylinders and preferably eX- tend along both the side walls and across the bases thereof; the half-cylinder 1 being shown as having tongue 1G extending along one of its sides and continued as tongue l()2L across tsbase, with a groove ll extending along its opposite side; and the half-cylinder 2 having a groove 12--122L along one side and across its base for reception of tongue 10-10a, and having a tongue 13 extending along its opposite side for reception in groove 11.

The cooperating tongues and grooves are preferably wedge-shaped in cross-section as shown in Fig. 2 so that when the half-cylinders are mounted on a pole they are guided into operative assembly, preferably with a coating of asphaltum or other sealing medium between the cooperating tongues and grooves; and the assembled halfcylinders are then` held in operative assembly by any suitable fastening means shown as annular clamps 15, which may be adjusted so as to contract or expand the cooperating half -cylinders for fitting the anchor to any particular pole, and which are preferably adapted for some slight inherent yield so as toI permit such slight contraction and expansion of the cooperating halfcylinders as will compensate for any swelling of the pole, it being noted that the asphaltum-coated cooperating tongues and grooves guide such relative expansion and contraction of the anchor and maintain a closed annulus even when the proX- 3f imate edges of the cooperating half-cylinders are appreciably spaced.

The anchor is preferably of molded plastic material such as concrete; and by molding the anchor and allowing it to dry before mounting it upon a pole the anchor is freed of all moisture such as might otherwise penetrate and rot the pole. Molding the anchor in the form of halfoylinders also simpliiies manufacture and provides for convenience of assembly, in that the anchor may be snugly fitted to a pole Without such extreme accuracy in the diameter of its bore as would be required in an integrally molded anchor, and when assembling the anchor on a pole the half-cylinders may be handled one at a time as will result in appreciable saving of labor when mounting relatively heavy anchors on large poles.

The invention thus provides an extremely practical anchor and protector for posts and poles, adapted to be conveniently molded from plastic material and allowed to dry before mounting on a pole; and then readily operatively assembled and adapted for expansion and contraction while maintaining a closed annular construction, with the anchor thus enclosing and protecting the entire ground embedded end of the pole and adapted for reception of a plastic medium for sealing the anchor around the pole.

l claim:

l. An anchor comprising cooperating shells which are half-cylinders closedrat their lower ends, said shells being of plastic material molded and allowed to dry and then adapted for operative assembly on the lower end of a pole, and adjustable fastening means encircling 'the cooperating shells and having some slight inherentyield adapting the cooperating shells for relative expansion and contraction, the meeting edges of the shells having cooperating tongues and grooves, and the bore of the cooperating shells being countereored for reception of a sealing medium between the pole and anchor.

2. An anchor comprising cooperating shells which are half-cylinders closed at their lower ends, said shells being of plastic material molded and allowed to dry and then adapted for operative assembly on the lower end of a pole with the side edges of the cooperating shells in abutting relation andW forming a closed annulus dening a cylindrical bore, and fastening means encircling the cooperating shells.

3. In combination, cooperating shells which are arcuate sections of a cylinder closed at their lower ends, said shells being of plastic material formed into the desired shape and allowed to dry and adapted to be then operatively assembled on the lower end of a pole or the like with the side edgesof the cooperating shells 'in abutting relation and forming a closed annulus dening a cylindrical bore, and means for securing the shells in assembled relation. Y

4. In combination, cooperating shells which are Varcuate sections of a cylinder closed at their lower ends, said shells being of plastic material formed into the desired shape and allowed to dry and adapted to be then operatively assembled on the lower end of a pole or the like, and fastening means encircling the cooperating shells and havi'n'g's'ome slight inherent yield adapting the co- JOI-'IN H. GORDON. 

